Puerto Vallarta has been awarded the TOURISM EXCELLENCE AWARD 2014 by Spanish Corporate “Grupo Excelencias”at FITUR 2015 for the development and implementation of its strategic plan to “re-engineer” the destination’s Tourism Action Plan put together by the Mexican beach destinations Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board, the Puerto Vallarta’s Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism of Jalisco.

The engineering plan involves all tourism stakeholders, government departments, associations, chambers and private initiatives, and involves improvements in infrastructure and tourist heritage as well as a formal program of training and awareness aimed at local people who become hosts / destination ambassadors, reinforcing Puerto Vallarta as one of the world´s most friendly destinations.

Since the Puerto Vallarta’s Convention and Visitors Bureau was restructured this past August, its new Executive Director, Miguel Andres Hernandez has been busy laying the ground work to ensure the destination’s future as a serious contender in the business travel industry.

An important element in the CVB’s work is training and presentation by renowned meeting planners and professional congress organizers. On November 13 of this year, the bureau hosted Miguel Harraca, President of the Convention and Visitors Bureaus of Latin America and the Caribbean in a presentation on strategic alliances.

From Nov. 25-27, the CVB partnered with SITE and other Mexican entities to do the first of a number of training aimed to make as many of the member of Puerto Vallarta tourism industry Certified Meetings Specialists. Over 20 members participated in the four-course class in Mexico City. Additional classes with PCMA and other associations are currently being scheduled for 2015.

The CVB has also started working on the development of its own certifications. Designed to create a service norm and standard across the city, it has partnered with local, state and federal institutions to train and certify local businesses. On December 5, the OCV started a certification program that is expected to train more than 2,500 taxi drivers in basic consumer relations, destination representation, language and others. Similar certification are being developed for other suppliers in the destination, including restaurants, hotels, tour operators, etc.

As part of its promotions and PR campaign with the tourism board agency, LATITUDE, the CVB, the Puerto Vallarta International Convention Center, destination hotels and the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board have continued to promote the city’s infrastructure in numerous events throughout the year including AIBTM, IMEX and MPI’s WEC. Puerto Vallarta also becoming an MPI Preferred Partner in April.

Puerto Vallarta is most definitely a destination that will not fail to surprise, taking full advantage of its long list of features and benefits. On a daily basis, it is committed professionally to offer a unique and distinctive product, full of added values, to be a true “Experience Generator” for all those travelers seeking tirelessly for the perfect destination.

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico is one of the main tourist destinations in Mexico for sunny beach vacations. Its unique features, perfect weather and convenient geographical location has made it one of the cities with the best connections by air and sea as well as one of the most visited by travelers from Mexico, USA, Canada, Latin America and Europe.

With more than 22,500 hotel rooms, an active tourist seaport, international airport, more than 300 days of sunshine per year and the traditions of Jalisco: excellent cuisine, tequila, raicilla, mariachi and charrería (rodeo style Mexican cowboys), Puerto Vallarta is a destination that falls in love and outdoes itself every day. Its setting is perfect for cultural, artistic, historical, culinary and adventure travel, for destination weddings, romantic escapes and incentive trips, corporate events, conferences and conventions.

A fantastic International Convention Center and more than 30 hotels offering excellent and warm deals for conference tourism, including meeting rooms and social areas, complement a varied and quality nightlife that boasts some of the best restaurants in the country and endless activities such as adventure and ecological tours, artistic events and sports. Being highly competitive, Puerto Vallarta is also positioned favorably today as one of most popular and quality destinations for medical tourism.

About Puerto Vallarta
Besides being one of the top 5 tourist destinations in Mexico, Puerto Vallarta offers a wide range of hotels with business services as well as an International Convention Center, all of which is conducive to support a variety of events for all preferences, ranging from work meetings to international conventions. Besides sun, sand and sea, Puerto Vallarta boasts a rich environment to secure the success of your convention. Its geographical location bestows a beautiful, typical Mexican town surrounded by the emerald green mountains of the Sierra Madre and the deep blue sapphire tones of the Pacific Ocean.

The extensive range of hotels available includes international hotel chains as well as independent, traditional and boutique hotels that complement the various water sports, adventures, award-winning restaurants offering all kinds of cuisine, DMC professional services, exciting tours for large or small groups, world class spas, championship golf courses, entertainment 24/7, a picturesque downtown full of rich traditions and culture, friendly people and an enviable number of art galleries.

Puerto Vallarta is one of Mexico’s most important tourist centers by the sea, having increased in popularity among event planners due to its accessibility, proximity, excellent climate and its new infrastructure for events.

Enter to Win a Sunny Florida Getaway

Winter blues got you down? Snowy days seem never-ending? Then dig out your flip flops and hang up your winter coat, it’s time to prepare for warmer weather in Central Florida – where the only snow comes in a cone! Make Kissimmee your winter escape and enter Experience Kissimmee’s “Kiss the Cold” sweepstakes now through April 12 for your chance to win a sunny Florida getaway for you and 3 guests.

Goodbye Cold and Hello Sunshine in Kissimmee, Florida!

With year-round beautiful weather, Kissimmee is the perfect place to soak up some much needed sunshine. Imagine a place where you can zipline through the trees, skim across the headwaters of the Everglades in an airboat, soar above it all in a hot air balloon or enjoy quality time at the pool, all in the middle of winter. Imagine Kissimmee; located just minutes from world-famous theme parks including, Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and LEGOLAND Florida.

Sun, fun & theme parks are waiting! To enter Kissimmee’s Kiss the Cold sweepstakes, text “warm” to 82257, or enter online by visiting the official campaign website, www.KissColdAway.com. Throughout the 13-week entry period, four Grand Prize Winners will each receive a sunny Kissimmee getaway package for them and up to three guests. The 6-day/5-night prize package includes:

Round trip airfare for four
Hotel accommodations at a Kissimmee Resort
Rental car
Four 1-day, 1-park tickets to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
Four 1-day/2-park tickets to Universal Orlando Resort
Four tickets to Orlando Tree Trek Adventure Park
A 1/2-hour airboat tour for up to four people at Boggy Creek Airboat Rides
A 2-hour guided tour for up to four people The Paddling Center at Shingle Creek
In addition to the four Grand Prize vacation packages, weekly winners will each receive a “Box of Sunshine” that will include various items representing Florida warmth.

Limit 1 entry per person, per day. For Eligibility, Official Rules, and complete prize details, visit www.KissColdAway.com.

Sunshine. Blue Skies. Everything the Orlando area has to offer. Without the frost bite. With nearly 50,000 total accommodation options available, it is the best place to stay to visit world famous theme parks, as well as a wide array of outdoor attractions that showcase Florida’s natural side. Start planning today at www.ExperienceKissimmee.com.

Visitors to downtown San Diego’s bustling bayside will find a new, more pedestrian-friendly Embarcadero thanks to enhancements recently unveiled by the Port of San Diego. Two years in the making at a cost of $31.1 million, a new esplanade located along Harbor Drive between the Navy and B Street piers welcomes visitors, including cruise ship passengers boarding and disembarking from San Diego’s two adjacent cruise ship terminals. Representing the first phase of San Diego’s Embarcadero Visionary Plan, the improvements include a two-block area of West Broadway between North Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway.

The improved Embarcadero’s centerpiece is a beautifully landscaped 105-foot wide promenade which was made possible by removing parking spaces and realigning Harbor Drive 60 feet to the east.
The following are some notable features visitors can find along San Diego’s premier waterfront destination:
Two sleek metallic shade pavilions feature colorful and inviting new glass ticket kiosks for the Old Town Trolley Tours, Flagship Cruises and Hornblower Cruises.

The pavilions also house a new visitor information center, projected to open in April 2015, gift shop and Carnitas Snack Shack, a popular local restaurant scheduled to begin operating in late May/early June 2015.

Eye-catching public art by internationally-known artist Pae White integrates seamlessly throughout the architecture of the Embarcadero’s new buildings. Inspired by the novel Jonathan Livingston Seagull, White adorned the pavilions, ticket booths, restaurant, information center and a new public restroom with large cutout letters and words that represent the aerial views of a seagull in flight.

Lush, colorful gardens, landscaped plazas and pathways feature comfortable wooden benches and seating areas, groves of 42 purple-blooming jacaranda trees—San Diego’s official tree—and an environmentally-friendly water filtration system that captures street and sidewalk runoff, filtering pollutants from the water before it enters San Diego Bay.

New York lighting designer Leni Schwendinger installed dramatic sculptural lighting fixtures in the medians along West Broadway, complementing 18 towering palm trees.

In addition to the transformation of the North Embarcadero, a new 12-acre Waterfront Park featuring a spectacular 830-foot long fountain opened in May 2014. Also neighboring the new Embarcadero, construction is underway on two new hotels—Springhill Suites and a Residence Inn—and a public park at Lane Field, located on the northeast corner of Broadway and North Harbor Drive.
Happiness is calling in San Diego. For more information on San Diego Bay, visit the San Diego Tourism Authority’s website at www.sandiego.org/cruise, the Port of San Diego’s website at www.portofsandiego.org/thebigbay or call 619-236-1212.

Puerto Vallarta, one of Mexico’s leading resort destinations is set to record 2014 as one of the best years yet for its travel and tourism industry with ever growing numbers of travelers, new hotels and an increase in the overall number of hotel rooms, more flights, as well as additional cruise ship arrivals.

According to Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR), Puerto Vallarta registered an average 64.2% occupancy rate in the first nine months of 2014, a 6% increase over the same period last year. The number of rooms occupied for this period total 2,057,312, almost 70,000 more than in the same period in 2006, when Puerto Vallarta reported its highest number of room occupancy in the past 10 years with 1,987,782 rooms.

International arrivals registered at Puerto Vallarta hotels also increased by 5% from January to September 2014 over the same period last year.

Keeping up with Puerto Vallarta’s increasing numbers of visitors are the number offlights offered by different airlines to the destination. The overall number of flights (frequency) to PVR was up 23.87% in October 2014, over the same month in 2013; and up 22.6% in the month of October 2014, compared to September 2014. New direct routes from North America have also been launched this season including Alaska Airlines’ Portland, OR to Puerto Vallarta. Southwest Airlines has also just applied for DOT approval to serve Puerto Vallarta nonstop from Orange County’s John Wayne Airport.
Cruise ship arrivals are also up 43%. A total of 116 cruises will be calling at Puerto Vallarta this year, compared to 83 in 2013. A total of 141 cruises have already confirmed calls at Puerto Vallarta for 2015.

Some of the new hotel developments in Puerto Vallarta include:
Early this year, two hotels oppenned in Puerto Vallarta – Hotel One, with 125 rooms & Holiday Inn Express, with 115 rooms – both conveniently located less than 10 minutes away from Puerto Vallarta’s a state-of-the-art International Convention Center, airport (PVR) and downtown. By the end of 2015 three other hotels will have opened, the Hyatt Ziva and Hotel Mousai in the Mismaloya area and the Altamar with 120 suites in the Romantic Zone. In addition, the Puerto Vallarta Fiesta Americana will be converting to an All-Inclusive in October.
This season will also mark the opening of new boutique properties in the Zona Romántica, Piñata PV with six rooms in a corner of Puerto Vallarta that blends Mexican & American modernism, industrial, and vintage design; Luna Líquida Boutique Hotel’s 5 villas offers an atmosphere of comfort and inspiration framed by a collection of handmade motives carefully selected by the proprietor and well-known musician and composer Fher Olvera, front man of the famous Mexican rock band Maná; Saphire Beach Club will be the newest beach club in Puerto Vallarta and will offer three luxury rooms right on the beach.

Visitors are discovering a new Daytona Beach – an exciting chapter in the destination’s history showcasing its racing heritage, idyllic East Coast oceanfront location and impressive arts affiliation. The area is in the midst of investing more than $1 billion in renovations and construction, all of which making for an even more exciting vacation stay. Now open are Daytona Beach’s first oceanfront rollercoaster and the world’s first oceanfront Hyatt Place. Currently underway is a $400 million expansion at Daytona International Speedway, and the Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art that will house the world’s largest collection of Florida art. In the planning stage is a new Hard Rock Hotel & Café set ! to open in 2016. These additions – and an eclectic culinary scene, off-the-beaten-path attractions for thrill seekers and year-round cultural events – offer visitors unexpected delights on their Florida beach vacation. To order a complimentary comprehensive Official Visitors Guide, visit DaytonaBeach.com.